


The Lady Mages - Amell's chronicles

by GoldenGail3



Series: The Ladies Of DA [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Action, Awkward Romance, Circle Mages, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Female Protagonist, First Time, Fluff, Gen, Girl Power, Humor, Mage Origin, Mage Origin Story - Not right wording, Mages (Dragon Age), Mages and Templars, Origin Story, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Slight Female Surana/Anders - Freeform, Slow Burn, most likely, that platonic relationship does no apply to Ali
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-23 19:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6127255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenGail3/pseuds/GoldenGail3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amell wasn't always the bold person she became as Warden Commander. Who was she before her sudden change? This is a character study on Warden Amell - a once shy, unassuming young woman that dreamed of the leaving the circle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prequel - Surana

Dear Anders,

 

This is a letter just in case I failed the Harrowing - not that I want to think about that unfortunate possibility - but I just need to tell you some things if I'm either ~~dead or made a Tranquil~~ a bad, or really bad person towards you. I don't want to be,  I really want to succeed in the Harrowing, like ~~I think Amell will~~ you did, but alas, if things go horribly wrong, I hope the Templars will be kind enough to give this letter to you once ~~I'm a lifeless, emotionless corpse of myself or I have a large stab wound in my chest~~ as my last request, which I'm not hopeful will be honoured at the current moment.

One, I love you, Anders. I know I haven't said anything to you about it - but I feel a fluttering, happy feeling in my heart whenever I see you. I've just noticed you with Karl - so I didn't want irrupt what you two had together, please don't me get into your way of finding your true love Anders, I don't want to be that one person that ruins a beautiful relationship. I don't want to cause you more harm then what's already been done anyhow. But anyhow, whenever I see you and we go prank some poor foolish Templar, i feel like I've just had two hot chocolates - and I love chocolate, as you well know as I constantly ask the Templars if I can have a chocolate bar - they always say no to me though. But, you always seem to have some on you - and it's my favourite type of chocolate too, white chocolate, and you always give me some of it whenever I have a hard day and you know that chocolate will calm me down instantly.

And please, Anders, don't be a sopping mess about my dismay or Tranquil self - please don't. Celebrate my memory with Karl if you so wish, because I don't want to be remembered as 'another injustice the Templars has done', it's not their fault, I was weak in my will, and as such, don't hate me. Please don't,  I don't think it'd be suffice enough for my ghost to haunt you, would it?

Oh, and if you ever see Amell please tell her, "She didn't hate you - she was simply jealous of you, after all, you were the favourite of Ivring..." I know she'll understand what I'm saying, I think...

 

Love,

Melody Surana

 ( The letter was soon crushed into a ball, and thrown onto the floor of the Apprentice Chamber. The Hero later discovered it during their exploits of the Tower during the Fifth Blight.)

 


	2. Prequel - Amell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is from Amell's perspective. Not a part of the Main story, please don't kill me, it's just sort of a introduction to Amell's character in general.

Amell was in the Apprentice floor Library, with its huge, imposing book shelves that made the young apprentice feel like a ant in comparison to how tall they were - she walked along the first meter or so, before looking from left and right, to make sure there was no student/teacher practices of magic in her way, as she didn't want to get by a fireball or a ice spell that may come her way all of a sudden from them practicing spells - she turned to her left, where there were books she wanted - she was a suker for romances, even though she herself was far too shy and book minded to believe herself to be worthwhile for such a thing.

She walked towards the Bookcases - before stopping once she saw the bold writing of each book in the bookcase - Amell only needed to scan through the seemly never ending supply of books before stumbling upon the book she desired, it was a big, royal purple colored book - "Sir Knight and the Little Lady." which sounded vaguely cheesy to Amell - who was hounded constantly for reading such 'garbage' by her fellow apprentices such as Melody Surana - who passed her Harrowing, and was very arrogant about doing so, which made Amell wonder why Surana would think she'd care - she was happy that Surana passed her harrowing, Amell rather liked it when people she knew didn't die due to becoming possessed by demons - it was a regular occurrence in Kirkwall, and she'd know it too, she's seen mages become Abominations in Kirkwall, despite living there as a child, she always remembered a seemly young man with long, red colored hair, who doubled over in pain and agony, screaming, as he became a Rage Abomination, which was killed by a Templar instantly as soon as he became one of those things - seeing one become an abomination was not a very pleasant sight for a child to see, but she saw shown it by a Knight that she couldn't remember the name too, but she vaguely remembered that the Templar in question was male and he had a bald and had commanding voice though, and whom informed her of a hard truth that everyone Mage should know, "This could be you, Mage. Don't forgot it, lest it be you who suffers this fate." As if he was Merdith, the current Knight Commander of Kirkwall.

She grabbed her book - which was bound in purple satin, before noting it had dust on it - she blew it off, which caused her to cough due to the dust hitting her directly in the face, she looked at the cover of the book, which had the big, golden letters of the title of her book. She grinned, eager to read it, her cute dimples showing on each side of large, full lips she had. She put the book to her chest, before running out of the Library, not wanting to be noticed by one of her fellow apprentices, she ran to the first App room, before huffing and puffing out loud, which made everyone in the first Appar room stare at her, as if to question her, she blushed, before moving past people slowly, apologizing at each bump she bestowed upon a person, before one of the boys on one of those stools got the grand idea to try and trip her, by putting his leg out right in front her as she got closer to him, as he was in her way to her way to get to her bunk - she fell and tripped over him, her book falling out of her hands, golden pages flipping, before it landed on the ground in a clump. Amell frowned at the boy, and the rest of the apprentices got the nerves to laugh at her - Amell inched her way on the cold, hard floor towards her book, not wanting for people to know what she reading, before a girl on one of the bottoms floors of the bunk nearby her picked up her book, under no guise how the squirmy Mage on the floor may react to such a thing.

Amell saw the girl take her book - and quietly asked if she may have it back - the girl frowned at Amell, as if she was deciding that she was either disgusted or hated Amell. Amell stood up on her own, brushing the dirt off her purple apprentice dress, before asking once more, politely, if she could have it back to the other girl - the other girl obliged, but not without writing nonsense in the books beautiful golden colored pages. Amell then lay on her bunk, happy to read her book, in peace and quiet in her mind, a place of magical and uplifting adventures, and as Amell read more and more into her book, she lost all sense of whom was there and even noise happening the room..

 


	3. Prequel - The Awkward Good Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amell meets Cullen; her feelings on the matter

Amell was sitting in the Library - reading a book on a chair on her own separate table away from people - or as far away as people as she could possibly get - but alas, it was the _circle_ so of course there were people about her. She was hoping Irving didn't need her right now - but alas, it would seem he most definitely did, as he sent a Templar to her position, who tapped her on the shoulders, making Amell jump out of surprise, before looking back at the Templar, who seemed just as jumpy as she was, but man  what a sneaky, quiet Templar this guy was, she didn't even hear him coming and he wearing a full set of _loud, clanky armour_. Amell wondered if he trained in the art of silence.

"I-I'm sorry Apprentice Amell for frightening you , but First Enchanter Irving wants to see you." The Templar said, rubbing his neck with one of his arms, and sounded extremely nervous, while moving off to the left side of the table, so that Amell could get out of her chair. Amell stood up, while setting her book down on the table in the meanwhile, hoping that whatever Irving needed her help with wasn't too terribly long.

She turned towards the Templar, who was walking behind her, as silent as ever, and stopped just for a moment to casually ask.

"Where is Irving? If you don't mind me asking, Sir." The Mage wondered, sounding politet in her mannerisms.

"Apperatice Amell, you can call me Cullen if you so wish." The Templar said, also politet.

Both were seemed undeniably nervous around one another, but Amell took that name as a sign to be less cautious of this Templar - and something about him was different from the other Templar's, who ingored her presence as if she was nothing to be concerned about. But she didn't know what exactly about him was so... _Different_  from the other, but nevertheless she didn't want to be wrong about her assumption about this Templar, who she just as of now. 

"Well - _Cullen._ " She said, saying his name out loud - to her saying a Templar's name was a strange and extremely foreign thing to do here - where the Templar's are all called Sirs mostly, not by their first names. "About my original statement, where is Ivring? Is his perhaps in his office?" She continued, going back to her original politet tone. 

"I'm so terribly sorry about not telling you the first time around, Apperatice Amell - but umm, your right, indeed he's in his office." Cullen said, sounding genuinely sorry - like he met it, not like the usual Templar gruff 'Sorry' she usually got from the Templar's if they bumped into her - but their sorries weren't genuine, and some of them didn't even look at straight in the eye when saying so, and often times they were so quiet she couldn't hear them say so - but some rare Templar's, like Sir Carol, were always nice to her and actually thought she was a person rather then some little insignificant little ant that could be killed at any time... 

"It's alright, Sir Cullen." She said, slightly chucking, when she noticed Cullen blush slightly, despite his best efforts to lol away from the Mage, she still saw it out of the corner of her blazing grey colored eyes she had. 

"I - I'm glad so, Apperatice Amell. I made a fool out of myself in front of you." Cullen muttered, as he and the Mage began walking down the long, haunting, pathway leading to the stairs upstairs. Amell looked at one of the rooms - to see Wynne standing in one of the rooms, reading a book to the little Apperatices, who were slowly falling asleep on the cold hard floor, and just enough so, that Wynne saw Amell passing by; she gave the young woman a look of pride - as Amell was one of most her talented pupils that she's had currently, and Wynne always thought Amell as a sort of daughter to her. It would seem that the feeling was quite mutual between them, becuase Amell gave Wynne a thumbs up and a sly smile before she passed the room that Wynne was in.

She finally responded to Cullen, once they were on the first step of the winding staircase of the Tower. 

"Sir Cullen - I'm sorry for ingoring you - but I suppose that I find your mannerisms adorable rather then let's say embarrassing." She said, sounding extremely honest, which made Cullen chuckle, which was clear as day, and carefree, and made Amell want to laugh with them, rather then not. 

"Really? I never thought you were ingoring me Apperatice Amell - and your not the _first person_ to say that, either." Cullen said, as the two finished walking up the stairs at last - to Amell it took forever in her mind, but at least to the the never ending stairs weren't never ending, so Amell was being too metaphorical in her thinking at the current moment. 

"Ah, but I simply must say that it's the best type of aborable, and that nobody will ever defeat the type of teddy bear mannerisms you possess" Elisabeth stated, walking past each closed door without care or notice of the passing hallway before them. 

"Uh.." Cullen got tongue tied, and just couldn't say anything that would make him sound even more like a bithoring idiot then he was making himself in front of her, and it was quite lucky for him that Ivrings office was the next door that they saw, closesd. 

"Ah, Ivrings room!" Amell noted, before staring at the Templar, "Good bye, Sir Knight." She said, before letting her impulsive nature get to her head, she was very tempted to kiss Cullen on the cheek before opening the door to Ivrings office. But alas, the two exchanged good byes together, before a Templar yelled Cullen's name across the hallway, which prompted Cullen to quickly walk own the hallway, but not before taking a glance back at Amell, who smiled at him before walking into Ivrings office, the door shut behind her, making a echo of the door clicking back into place. 

 

 

 


	4. Comin' Jowan!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elisabeth Amell heals a Templar.

Amell was walking alongside Wynne - to a injuired Soldier who sat in one of the rooms in the Apperatice Chambers, and was currently laying almost in a daze on a bed but was bleeding heavily outof his heavily tattooed right arm; Amell rolled up her sleeves, mostly out of habit, before sitting next to the man, before slowing rolling him over, so that she could began to slowly unravel the gory mess that was his arm - she assumed that a Mage hit him - a Mage using Fire Magic, as it left his whole arm burnt and the flesh was a horrible mess of burnt stains - Amell groaned, out of pure disgust at the condition of his skin and how it smells horriblely; Amell wondered if their was a worse smell than burnt human flesh... 

"What? I was told it was _bad_ is worse then just bad?" The injuired man said, trying not to cry out of the deep pain he was feeling at the current moment. Amell smirked, adamant in her ablity as a Healer. It was lucky this man was a Templar Trainee; otherwise they wouldn't have been able to have helped him as fast as they could, and the only reason Amell was up here was becuase Wynne made that call, and rightfully so as she was a Senior Enchanter, thereby giving her such right to do so.

"It doesn't matter, Mr. Thomson, I'm here to fix you up. I'm sure a brave soul such as yourself can handle that." Amell said, still peeling off the murky, blood soaked bandage she was currently undoing. Wynne was putting the bandages in a container near the side lines of the cold, hard floor, to make sure the sticky bandages went straight into the container rather then otherwise, while nodding Amell to go on, as Wynne thought the young Mage was extremely charsmatic for an usual solitarily and otherwise lonely person. 

"I'm glad a little lady such a yourself is doing it - I'd be dammed to believe they didn't make all the pretty young woman do your job." He said, flirting with Amell - making her blush slightly. She believed that solider to be very brave to flirt with a _Mage_  like herself. She eventually came down to the last wrapping of the injury, before it releaved itself. It was a digusing and nasty burn on his arm - Magical fire didn't burn like real fire on the skin - but it did leave a defenate Mark on this poor man's soldier. 

Amell had to close her mouth with one of her arms to keep her mouth firmly shut - becuase although this wasn't her first healing on a injuired victim - this was like the emphany of why Mages weren't trusted and yet he trusted her enough to flirt with her... He sure had a lot of guts for a burnt victim of a Mage nevertheless... _To even speak to her or trust her after that affair_... Maybe he knew mages that didn't attack him and as such acted like she was a human being rather then something to be simply ignored due to that connection...

She began healing him, and watched as amazment as the large gap of disgusting burnt bile became whole once more, as smooth and slightly tanned as the rest of his body - or so Amell assumed, she had no idea who this gentlemen was - but was always happy to help anyone in need of assisstance, and as the gap healed itself in, it left a mark on his skin, a little scar nevertheless, which made her slightly frown.

"Did I leave anythin' behind little lady?" He asked, staring at her. She nodded immedately.

"Unfornately, sir. A scar. Would you like me to heal it?" Amell asked the man, who shook his head.

"Nah - it's a part of battle, to get scars. Also, my dear little lady, it's been a pleasure to have you heal today." He said, standing up, while helping Amell stand up by taking her hand. She looked down - out of a sense of embrassment on her behalf, that was spreading like a out of control wildfire on her heart shaped face, all while being very noticeable on already colorless features - which was having grey colored eyes and short, Bobby black colored hair she had. 

"Thank you sir. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." She said, looking up at long last, to reveal that the blush was gone - wiped clean by Amell's sheer willpower. The man nodded his head, before the Templar's outside escorted the man to the exit - Amell sighed, more or less out of disappointment than anything. After all, that man could've told her all about the great outdoors of Ferelden - a place she's never really remebered as she came here a mere child, only about 6 years old, though she did remeber Kirkwall vividly, for some reason remebering Kirkwall was more important then remebering Ferelden; which concered her slightly. 

Wynne, who had moved outside of the short room that Amell was currently occupying, and was currently holding the box of gross and bloody bandages on her right hand, walked into the room, while conviently setting the box outside instead of bringing in with her, sat down next to Amell, a faint smile on her face. 

"Elisabeth - you did a good job, don't sell yourself short on your achievements." Wynne said, turning her head in Amell's direction, who was putting her head in her arms. She turned her head slighly around, to sign softly. 

"Yeah, I wish that I was that calm during the periods when I was practicing ice Magic." Amell muttered, sounding like she was having a self- deprication moment, depise having a calm complexion on her face currently.

"Oh my dear girl - I'm sure that you'll get better in time." Wynne said, apperately choosing her words extremely carefully, as Amell was 20 years old and yet her Ice Magic was extremely uncontrollable still; although she was better at it then Fire Magic, which she could barely get lit up in her hands in the first place. Amell nodded, before signing and getting up off the bed she was sitting on currently. 

"I'm 20 years old and I can't control it, Wynne." She said, sounding sad. "What makes you think I'll just magically become better at casting offensive spells if I've had 14 years of pratice?" She asked Wynne.

"Amell -" Wynne responded, whilst looking concerned. Amell had simply walked away - out of the room - and more into Amell's chaotic, and often brazen thoughts that traveled across her large open imagination of thought..


	5. The Anti-Magic Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amell has a bit of a screw up.
> 
> Okay, so here's the thing about Amell. She's the second best to everything in the circle. She's doesn't feel special, at all. It doesn't matter that's she's Ivrings apperatice. She's instilled through her years at living at Kinloch that someone will take her place someday, and that she's clearly second hand. How would you feel if that were happening to you? She grew kind of in the background, to be unnoticed and to kind her own business, nothing else, and her lack of confidence is why she can't cast Ice spells. She's very much domainted over in the circle but once she's out of the circle, well, we'll see, shall we?

Amell wouldn't by chance, be practicing her ice Magic due to Ivrings supposing she was actually capable of such things.. Alas, she didn't know. It was so bloody uncontrollable, and it almost acted more like Fire than ice, with it being virtually ice flames, with it almost taunting her and laughing at her each time she attempted to do Ice Magid: from her pitiful attempts to ice magic, she'd getc an idea which made her wonder if she could possibly do fire magic instead of the slow-cold ice fire she was casting now. Although, by gosh, it was embrassing when people started calling her Ice Princess, as the title Ice Queen was taken. Another person (hmph, Angelica Knight) took it, as she could practically fly with the precision and delicacy she put into each and everyone of her ice spells, making Amell feel utterly small in comparison to most of the other girls, who got other titles in order to make themselves better about being trapped in the tower for almost all of enternity. There was a Ice Maiden, Fire Player, etc. She hoped to distinguish herself from them by simply doing things out of her own merit, and not just for the pretty title she got. 

"Child, pay attention!" Ivring shouted towards her, making her shatter her conceration on making it. She'd throw an ice spell alright, but it decided to hit eveything besides for herself, making itself seem more like a tunbleweed of the purest form of ice magic, an accomplishment that she didnt get much of a chance to congratulate herself for, as it bounced everywhere, like Anders cat. Although, Sir Pounce A lot was a good sleeping partner and prevented her nightmares from becoming a reality, so this was different than how exictable that perky orange cat was. This could be life-threatening.

She could hear people shouting, "Hit the deck, hit the deck!" From across the room. She could hear the screams of the panicked kids in the bookcase behind her, and the sounds of the Templars hunting for the Icey tumbleweed storm she unleashed. She sighed, sadly. She'd never be good at Ice Magic as long as she had this sorta of accidents happening. Or of course, she could be the one responsible of it. She'd slowly get on her feet, but alas, her magic had other plans it would seem.

Her right hand was expelling pure, and beautifully purple coloured anti magic, which was hitting her magic mess that USC already knocked down some of the rare books on the higher shelves of the library. She'd fall to the ground again, completely knocked on conscious as her mana was gone. Gone just her wishes to use offensive spells. She'd suppose she'd get the opportunity to do so again, but she also assumed her harrowing was coming. Very fast coming. She didn't know if she was ready to do so, but at least Cullen supported her, in his own adorable way, he was fastly becoming one of those Knights from all of those stories she read in her off hours of complete bliss in the dark camber that was the Apperatice room. 

She wouldn't remember anything, besides for a the voice of a young and clearly masculine voice. 

"Amell..." She'd hear, thinking it was Cullen's voice, she probably made a incoherent sound, before falling into a gentle sleep, to get back mana. She knew she'b be facing her nigtmares soon..

"Amell. My dear lady. Welcome to my party." The demon-Cullen said, walking around her, in such a sexual manner, she knew it wasn't him, she knew it, her Cullen was the most compassionate Templar she ever knew, and no man would ever be as gentle as he was to her. He however, made her skin crawl with how digusing she felt by the fake Cullen. She would never accept whatever he had to offer her. He'd feel her relcutane, by putting his unarmored and soft right hand on her shoulder. She'd react to that with total shock, her mouth was left totally and utterly screwged open, like a bottle cap being unscrewed from a bottle.

"I refuse... Whatever you have to offer, Demon." She'd say, sounding confident, but feeling more like something glorious just happened but it wasn't glorious. It felt wrong. Very wrong. Cullen would never, ever touch her in such a tender way, and she was sort of glad - the chances of them ever kissing was extremely slim - Amell knew, and worried, that she was well on her way to gettting poor sweet Cullen from being kicked out of the order just because he was friends with her - one of his hostages. She did, in some level, love Cullen in an romantic way, but she'd be smart enough to not try and have a relationship with the man, no matter how much she wanted it, because it was selfish on both of their parts to try and have a secret relationship somehow behind the Chantries Mordow like eyes.

"Oh, my darling girl." The fake Cullen would say, in such a way, she swore she saw Ivring in him as he spoke.

"I..." She'd say, "I'm sorry Cullen." She'd say, softly, realising she was waking up, as her pherphorial version slowly showed her the way back to the light, as she turned away, she'd slowly be realising that she was silently crying, without a single sound, she'd walk the path towards the light, before turning around at the last second to see Fake Cullen. She'd assume him to be a desire demon, but maybe he was something else? A pride demon? She didn't know what, as she woke up slowly... Lights flashed, blazing her in the face like the sun might do.. 


End file.
